For the past seven and a half years, the mainstream media have been derelict
in their duties. Rather than functioning as the vigilant sentinels of
society, the media have shown themselves to be the propaganda machine
of the Democratic Party. But I predict that in the near future, the media
will change. In fact, I predict that the change will happen sometime during
the night of November 7. The only condition I place on my prediction is
that this epiphany, this sudden enlightenment will occur only if George
W. Bush wins the election.

On the morning of November 8, following the election of George W. Bush,
the old media will suddenly awaken from their lethargy. The sleepy cobwebs
will clear from their befuddled minds and they will suddenly remember
what their purpose is  to serve as the public's watchdogs of the
political process.

Since 1992, these watchdogs have voluntarily muzzled themselves, choosing
to ignore, deny, or spin the corruption of the Clinton administration.
These guardians of truth have allowed the lies and deceit of the current
occupant of the White House to go unchallenged, unreported, and unresolved.
They merely go through the motions of being an independent, unbiased press.
Allegations may be reported, but no follow-up occurs. Stories are printed
about scandalous behavior, but no in-depth investigation gets initiated.
The lies, scandal and corruption are glossed over and buried under the
concocted stories of cruise missile strikes against aspirin factories
and empty caves. White House press releases are reprinted and passed off
as "news".

The old, entrenched media's failure to adequately cover the scandals
of the current occupant in the White House has led to the rise of the
"New Media", generally based on the Internet. Sites such as
World Net Daily (www.worldnetdaily.com), NewsMax (www.newsmax.com), the
Drudge Report (www.drudgereport.com) and CNSNews.com (www.cnsnews.com)
have eagerly taken on the role as hard-hitting, tenacious news sources
providing in-depth coverage of political scandals and old media complicity.

The old media practitioners claim to be unbiased and non-partisan. Or,
if they admit to their bias, they claim that bias does not interfere with
their reporting. But an objective review of the reporting over the past
eight years provides a different conclusion.

In a recent column
in World Net Daily, Paul Sperry identifies the specific failures of the
old media. Mr. Sperry presents 17 specific instances of corruption in
the White House that the mainstream media has ignored, minimized, or distorted.
He asserts that "after 39-plus scandals" and "seven outside
investigations, you'd think Clinton's crookedness would be bumper-sticker
obvious" to the sycophants that call themselves reporters. The failure
to identify the Clinton administration as the most corrupt in American
history, according to Mr. Sperry, is caused by ideological attraction
of the old media to Mr. Clinton. "A whopping 89 percent of Washington
reporters and 60 percent of bureau chiefs voted for [Clinton] in 1992
 compared with just 43 percent of the electorate." Mr. Sperry's
lucid, straightforward presentation is hard to argue with.

The same old media to which Mr. Sperry refers will still be in place
after the November election. The same faces will show up on the TV news
programs and at the White House news conferences. The ideology of that
media will also be in place  an ideology that is intolerant and
vehemently hostile to the values and principles for which a president-elect
Bush would stand. The popping sound we will hear will be the heads of
the "White House ostrich corps" (Mr. Sperry's excellent characterization)
popping out of their holes. The liberal mainstream press will experience
a re-awakening to its duties. There will be no press "honeymoon"
for Mr. Bush. The daggers so long unused will flash in the January inaugural
sun.

Will these liberal media types finally admit to their bias, finally admit
to their favoritism? Don't hold your breath. The first few weeks of the
new Republican President's term will be filled with hand wringing acknowledgements
of laxity, confessions of soul-searching, admissions of minor inconsistencies
in reporting habits, followed by a promise of renewed fortitude, a strengthened
commitment to getting to the truth, a vow for a revitalized critique of
the political process. No longer will the press be remiss in its duties.
No longer will the guardians of truth allow a scandal to go unreported.
The apologies will abound and will echo through the studios of every newsroom
in the country. "Mistakes were made," the media will admit,
"We need to move on and put this all behind us. We have seen the
light and now you can trust us."

Mark your calendars. If George W. Bush wins the election on November
7, then November 8 will be the Media Epiphany of the new millennium.